


The Winter Feline

by orphan_account



Series: "Oh crap!" [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bucky has a cat, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-20
Updated: 2015-02-20
Packaged: 2018-03-13 21:18:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3396692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Winter the cat has extreme behavior issues, so when she climbs into a neighbor's apartment, Bucky has no choice but to go rescue the unsuspecting victim's furniture. Rated T for swearing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Winter Feline

Bucky Barnes was at his wit’s end.  
He could handle three deadlines at the publishing company being pushed forward a week. He could handle his sink backing up and nearly flooding the house. He could handle four hours of sleep a night for the past week. But what he could not handle was the smug expression his cat was giving him as it sat on his upstairs neighbor’s open windowsill.

“Winter, you misbegotten, mangy, goddamn useless turd, I swear to God, if you do not get back here right now, I will hold you in the bathtub until you turn into a little cat prune and your fur falls out!” After another five minutes of threats and insults varying in levels of explicitness, Bucky decided to change tactics and held out an open can of tuna.  
“I’m sorry, girl. How ‘bout a nice treat, huh? Some nice tuna, just for you!” He wiggled the can in what he hoped was an enticing manner. Winter stood up, eyeing the can.  
“Come on, that’s it, just hop back over here…” Winter deliberately turned around, and after presenting her posterior to Bucky, elegantly hopped into the apartment room above him.  
Bucky threw the can of tuna on the ground, not caring as it splattered on his feet. 

“You little piece of shit!” He roared at the sky, shocking the elderly lady who lived next to him. “I should’ve never rescued you!”  
As adorable as Winter was, she was incredibly badly behaved, and Bucky knew if she was up there for even five minutes alone, half of the poor tenant’s furniture would be completely shredded. He also knew that said tenant was not currently home, and would definitely not be happy to return to his apartment in a state of chaos with a strange cat sitting in the middle. Bucky sighed, shoulders slumping with defeat. He’d have to climb through the window to get his stupid cat. This day was getting even worse with every passing second.

Cautiously, he pulled himself onto the edge of his balcony, wobbling slightly as he rose from a crouch. He shuddered as a gust of wind whipped around him, and tried not to think about the ground five stories below. The windowsill that Winter had been sitting on was just out of reach, even when he stretched. How the damn cat had managed to get up there, Bucky would never know. He knew that even if he missed the window, he would probably land on his balcony, but he still ran the risk of twisting an ankle, and that was the last thing he needed. Swallowing his apprehension, Bucky crouched, then sprang into the air, catching the sill with one hand and knocking his head against the wall. Blood started to drip down his face. Perfect. Securing his grip, he pulled himself up and through the window with a grunt and tumbled onto the floor, silently thankful that he went to the gym on a regular basis. Now, to find Winter.  
Rolling to his feet, Bucky looked around the living room for any signs of feline destruction. Suddenly, he heard a ‘meow’ behind him. There was Winter, seated next to an expensive-looking vase.

“Winter, don’t you dare!” Bucky said menacingly, locking eyes with the cat. Returning the stare, she reached out with a paw and pushed the vase over.  
“Shit!” Bucky shouted, and dove for the vase, catching it the instant before it crashed to the floor. Breathing a sigh of relief, he glared at the cat, who stared down at him smugly. While she was still gloating, Bucky grabbed her by the scruff triumphantly, still holding the vase. Naturally, Winter started hissing and yowling, gouging her claws into Bucky, who yelped with pain, but held grimly on. Through the commotion, he didn’t hear the click of the door being unlocked. However, an exclamation of “What the hell?” froze both man and cat alike.  
Suddenly, Bucky was painfully aware of how bad this looked. A crazed looking man, covered in blood and tuna, holding both a cat and a vase, with the window open…he was royally screwed. 

“I’m so sorry,” he babbled, “my cat escaped because she didn’t want tuna, and Winter’s a bitch, I mean the cat, not the season, Winter is her name, and I’m not a burglar she just tried to break your vase and destroy all your stuff and-and-” Bucky was cut off as the other tenant started laughing, bent over at the middle.  
“Oh man,” the other man chuckled, wiping away a tear, “I haven’t seen a mess like that since Clint and Natasha played laser tag.” As he straightened up, Bucky got a good look at his neighbor, and was grateful that his mouth was already open, because otherwise his jaw would’ve dropped.  
The man was tall, a bit taller than Bucky, and powerfully built. However, he exuded such an air of friendliness that Bucky immediately relaxed. He ran a hand through his blond hair, then extended it. 

“Why don’t we try this again,” he said, blue eyes creasing with mirth. “I’m Steve.”  
Bucky gingerly placed the vase on the floor, then took the offered hand. “James, but people call me Bucky. I live downstairs.” He hoped he wasn’t staring too much, because it definitely felt like he was.  
“Well, Bucky,” Steve said, putting on a mock serious expression, “care to explain yourself over a drink tonight?”  
Bucky grinned for the first time in several hours.  
“I’d like that,” he replied. “Just let me take care of Winter-Winter?!!” The cat was nowhere to be seen. Steve chuckled once again, then stooped down, and pulled a ball of black and white fur seemingly out of nowhere. Winter curled up smugly in his arms, purring like she was the happiest cat to walk the earth. Bucky blinked in shock. He’d never seen Winter like - well, anybody, really. It seemed this day was starting to look up after all.


End file.
